Antonio Pettigrew, who was stripped of a 2000 Olympic 4x400m relay gold medal
for doping, has been found dead at the age of 42, University of North
Carolina officials said Tuesday.

There was no word on the exact time or possible cause of death for Pettigrew, whose body was discovered on Tuesday according to a spokesman for the university, where Pettigrew was an assistant athletics coach.

Pettigrew, who won the 1991 400 metres world title in Tokyo, was a member of the 4x400 metres American relay team that won the gold medal at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

But the International Olympic Committee (IOC) stripped Pettigrew and his teammates - including legend Michael Johnson - of their medals after he admitted, during a trial against former coach Trevor Graham, to doping.

In a statement, North Carolina athletics director Dick Baddour said the school was "deeply saddened" to learn of Pettigrew's death.

"I was particularly impressed with the relationships he established with our student-athletes and the pride he took in representing the University of North Carolina," Baddour said.